Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 51

"I know."

Hudson leaned back in his chair, tossing the unlit cigarette onto the desk. "I'll try to stop taking them."

Liam pressed his lips together. "Mr. Lancaster, I'm not joking."

He took a deep breath, his voice dropping. "It's only because you have such a strong constitution that you've held up this long. An average person would have collapsed by now. But even a body made of steel can't endure this kind of wear and tear. The side effects of those pills..."

"That's enough," Hudson interrupted, shooting him an impatient look. "You were in Northampton for half a year. When did you come back so much like a nagging old woman?"

Liam's brow furrowed tightly.

He had been by Hudson's side for almost ten years. He knew the man's temperament. The more casually he spoke, the less room there was for negotiation.

"Mr. Lancaster, your treatment plan needs to be finalized as soon as possible..." Liam's tone grew grave. "By next month at the latest, you..."

"Liam Harrison," Hudson interjected, calling him by his full name.

Liam froze.

"Shut up."

"Mr. Lancaster..."

Hudson waved a hand dismissively. "I have something else to ask you."

Liam pressed his lips into a thin line, finally letting out a defeated sigh as he swallowed his remaining words.

"What is it?"

"Do you know what intimacy anxiety is?"

Liam stared at him, caught completely off guard.

"What?"

"Intimacy anxiety," Hudson repeated, lifting his gaze. "What causes it?"

"It's a type of psychological disorder."

Perhaps because they had shifted to his area of expertise, Liam's speaking pace naturally picked up. "Patients experience intense anxiety reactions when attempting to establish intimate relationships with others. Symptoms include an accelerated heart rate, sweating, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, it can trigger full-blown panic attacks."

He glanced cautiously at Hudson.

Hudson ignored him. He tapped out two pills and tossed them directly into his mouth.

Liam felt a suffocating weight press down on his chest, a breath trapped tightly in his lungs.

He inhaled deeply, forcing himself to stay calm.

"If you keep popping these pills like this, forget about next month..." he said, his voice low and deliberate. "You might not even make it to the end of this month..."

"I know," Hudson cut him off, his voice raspy.

Liam opened his mouth to argue, but the phone on the desk suddenly vibrated.

The screen lit up with Arthur's name.

Hudson glanced at it and answered the call.

"Yeah..."

Whatever Arthur said on the other end, Hudson's expression remained entirely blank, but those dark eyes...